Emergency Preparedness - What Are You Doing? (If Anything)

[Liberal Democracy]

Hands up, approach slowly, give the password ("Pentode") and you won't get perforated.

You've been at those Jilly Cooper books again .. , they are not benefiting a man of your standing. You shouldn't bring that filth here !

 

[EJ3]

I have some family in NI that still have power out since 9am . So they are now in freezer food spoiling territory . Though not sure having to buy and house a generator is worth a once a decade freezer spoil.

I bought UPS power supplies (sized to room or device need) one big enough to power a refrigerator another big enough to power a freezer (both of those items draw a lot of power at once & then drew very little for long periods of time [unless you keep opening the doors to them]). One for the computer and it's associated equipment. One for the pumps for the gas boiler that distribute the hot water for the radiant heat of the house, as well as hot water for dish washing, showers and the well pump. start of the Each major use room has a smaller one for lighting & such. I can run the house for 4 days on the sizes that I bought. Naturally, a generator, in case it is needed (I have been in an island wide 4 month power outage on Saipan in 2015, so...). I grew up with hurricanes and have always kept a 30-909 day food supply around (thank you mom & dad), wherever I lived.
I almost forgot, the stereo (a tri-amped system) has 2 of the refrigerator sized UPS's). If it gets to a situation that I cannot have music: Then it IS truly severe.
To me, this is the way my family has been since ever that I remember. We can all hunt, trap & fish (even my 91 year old mother). One of our properties is on a deep salt water creek & 40 miles away the is on a fresh water river.
We only need the government to protect us from invasion. And even then...

 

[EJ3]

Just checked on my food reserves:

2 packets of waffles, a pint of milk, a yoghurt and a half-eaten Polish sausage I should probably throw out.

In the event of a disaster my plan is to go out looting.

Having burglary tools and knowing how to use them is, in fact, a good idea.
Many may unfortunately lose their lives in such an event and perhaps had stored food & water locked up that yourself or others might need to access.

 

[EJ3]

I'm more worried about running out of cat food...

I'm willing to bet that without cat food, the cats will still eat better than you will if an event occurs in which getting cat food is an issue. Now, if the cats have been de-clawed, their survival would be at risk.

 

[Mart68]

Having burglary tools and knowing how to use them is, in fact, a good idea.

I'm a scouser, it's an innate skill. I broke into my neighbours house just using a wire coat hanger.

Before anyone jumps to conclusions - she'd locked herself out.

 

[antcollinet]

I'm a scouser, it's an innate skill.

LOL

 

[Chr1]

Off topic but...
Top scouse drama...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0028mhs

Aye, yous were born ready, lad.

 

[Chr1]

On a more serious note: Not really a prepper at all. (I'm a city dweller). But something small, easy and practical is to keep any empty space in your freezer filled with containers of frozen water. Not only does it make your freezer far more efficient, but if there's a power cut, it will take longer for things to defrost.
Plus you can move some of the frozen containers into the fridge too. Worked for me a few years back when there was a 24hr power cut in the middle of summer.

(Plan B: Gorge to prevent food wastage)

 

[Esprit]

I have some family in NI that still have power out since 9am . So they are now in freezer food spoiling territory

A good refrigerator can preserve food without electricity for almost 24 hours.

 

[Noske]

Keep sufficient cash at home for as long as you envisage an emergency may last. You may well ask - well how long is a piece of string? And you know, that would be a really good question. Just try it for a while - ditch any other means of payment.

Keep it somewhere safe where looters would never ever think of looking. Like maybe an empty tea/coffee can on the kitchen bench. Or not?

Because banks may take an impromptu extended holiday. If they are open, shops may not recognise electronic transfers.

 

[Plan9]

I have a 3kVA petrol generator which lives downstairs in the laundry. I start it maybe once a year, run it for 20 mins or so. It saved us last year when a storm and tornado (genuine tornado here in Qld) took out out power and 150,000 others for 6 days over Christmas. Maybe $100 worth of petrol (gas) and a top-up of small engine oil. I love that thing.

It ran the fridge, the fans and the master bedroom portable A/C I had bought "just for fun" for 6 days. Didn't lose a thing in the fridge/freezer and we had fans, toast, hot coffee, lights, internet (fixed wireless bounced off a repeater 16km away) and yes, even music and TV (not all at once). I ran twin 20A cables up the laundry chute to the first floor to run everything and the gen sat on a rubber mat on the concrete slab. Nobody out here had internet, except a few with Starlink running off gens/solar. All the 3g and 4/5g towers were out for a week.

A small-medium (2.5-5kVA) gen is way better than a large one. They are easy to pull-start, need no start batteries to maintain, and can run modern inverter fridge/freezers alongside a ton of other stuff. A modern inverter (variable) drive compressor pulls no huge start current. My fridges sat around 140-190W max and mostly under 60W. Gone are the days where the startup current would stall a gen. You can put them in the back of the car/truck and take them anywhere. A mate of mine had a large diesel "whole-house" generator that couldn't be started after not being used for several years. He lost all his Christmas food and seafood.

Same here. We live up the Hudson/Northern Catskill region and our 3600 watt propane generator has rescued us a number of times during outages. The good thing about propane is that often outages include gas stations so a few BBQ size cylinders on hand has worked out when needed.

 

[Devnull]

Having burglary tools and knowing how to use them is, in fact, a good idea.
Many may unfortunately lose their lives in such an event and perhaps had stored food & water locked up that yourself or others might need to access.

No need. Just look around the outside of the house. The flower pot or a patio chair will open a window faster than your burglary tools. And if it happens to be a sterile outside environment the tire iron from your car is a universal house key.

 

[mhardy6647]

I am fully prepared to run around in circles, screaming hysterically, in the event of an actual emergency.

 

[Sgt. Ear Ache]

I am fully prepared to run around in circles, screaming hysterically, in the event of an actual emergency.

hell, I've done that because I ran out of coffee...

 

[mhardy6647]

hell, I've done that because I ran out of coffee...

Yeah... me, too, now that you mention it.

 

[EJ3]

On a more serious note: Not really a prepper at all. (I'm a city dweller). But something small, easy and practical is to keep any empty space in your freezer filled with containers of frozen water. Not only does it make your freezer far more efficient, but if there's a power cut, it will take longer for things to defrost.
Plus you can move some of the frozen containers into the fridge too. Worked for me a few years back when there was a 24hr power cut in the middle of summer.

(Plan B: Gorge to prevent food wastage)

Agreed, if you have empty space in your freezer.
Also, the heavier that you are, the harder you are to kidnap. Gorging helps prevent kidnapping.

 

[EJ3]

hell, I've done that because I ran out of coffee...

Yes, that is an emergency!

 

[EJ3]

No need. Just look around the outside of the house. The flower pot or a patio chair will open a window faster than your burglary tools. And if it happens to be a sterile outside environment the tire iron from your car is a universal house key.

Not thinking about getting access.
But getting into something that is secured without destroying what's inside it.
Getting inside is not usually the issue. Getting access to what is their may be another story.
Yep, it sure was funny when the guy tried a baseball bat on my Lexan window (after someone stole my tub back in the 1970's, I made the place a little more secure).
6 feet off the ground, Lexan windows, you can drive a truck underneath it but the truck won't be able to back up without major repairs or a tow truck to get it out.
Some people get very innovative when their stuff has been stolen before.
The last time someone hit the mailbox, it damn near stopped their SUV. The women said that she had dropped her leftovers (container that she was trying to eat from while driving, so she looked at the floor while she tried to get what she dropped.)
Unfortunately she still had enough momentum to then destroy a 100 year old Azalea bush.
The mail box is welded to a crankshaft from a straight 8 engine, concreted into the ground with a 1/2 meter diameter 3/4 meter deep plug.
The event sounded quite interesting", she uttered, screamed & cried like she was auditioning for a part as a lunatic.
I wish that I had been recording. I now have cameras setup, so I would be recording.

 

[RayDunzl]

I ran across this video of ground movement in the recent Myanmar earthquake.

"Massive Quake Causes Ground To Move Laterally! MUST SEE Video and Geologist Analysis"

Starting at the good part:

Well, I guess you have to go to YouTube to see it.

Skip to 6:23 in the video, the selected start time didn't transfer.

 

[someguyontheinternet]

Just simple stuff. Some canned food, water canisters and water purification tablets and a radio.